WASHINGTON -A man was forced into a van and sexually assaulted by a group of men, D.C. police said.
The victim was walking on 14th Street in Northwest when a suspect with a gun forced him into the van. It happened before dark Friday night in the Columbia Heights area.
He was kidnapped and sexually assaulted, according to authorities.
?It represents a change in what's going on out here on the streets that we have a group of people who are specifically looking to target, kidnap and sexually assault men. That is a very, very profound event and it?s a change in what we're used to investigating,? said Delroy Burton, President of the D.C. Police Union.
Police are looking for seven suspects. Only one can be specifically described as a Hispanic man in his 20s, about 6-foot-1, with short black curly hair. He was wearing an orange shirt, gray sweatpants and carrying a gun.
This is the second crime with this pattern in the District in less than a year.
On December 31, 2014, a man was walking nearby businesses in Southeast at 10 a.m. when a van pulled up and four men with guns grabbed him. They drove to another location where they raped him.
?It changes the game as to who needs to be cautious -- outside of the correctional facility setting -- about sexual assault,? said Burton. ?I think before men didn't even think of the possibility -- walking up and down the street -- and had to be guarded like we teach women to be guarded, but now that is a possibility.?
Burton said investigators are likely looking at all possible motives, including gang initiations, earlier jail activity and a new breed of sexual predators on the streets of D.C.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 202-727-9099.
http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/2969125...ssaulted-in-dc
